Nutcracker Nightmare: Black Magic Remix
by JudeDeluca
Summary: Retelling of the seventh Christmas track, about BF/GF Garth Ranzz and Mysa Nal going to the Nutcracker and waking into a nightmare of rats and faceless demons, thanks to the time witch Glorith. Entry in the Conest. Alt. pairing White Lightning.


Disclaimer: I do not own Legion of Super-Heroes, or Spinetinglers. I do, however, own Anaxandra Fier, and used without my consent, the only thing Santa is going to give you is an ASS WHOOPING MOTHAFU$! First one to review gets a link to the Garden of Love song, if I can find it. Garth still has his arm, and Mysa resembles before her skin turned white, the whims of the narrator. And borrowed some comments about New Earth's Lightning Lad from Legionworld.

Enjoy this bonus remix.

Based on _Nutcracker Nightmare_ by R.L. Stine.

* * *

It was snowing very hard that day. Any kids out there would've been sleeping in because of the snow day. It was a three-story farmhouse with lights on, in Wilke Forke, Pennsylvania. But this was no ordinary farmhouse.

****

Muhlzae Maze Manor

Museum and Eventages - CLOSED FOREVER!!!

NO VISITORS!

STAY AWAY! THIS MEANS YOU!

But someone was visiting. To tell their story. In the entryway, with the portrait of the crazy, seemingly never-ending stairway with the black cat with glaring red eyes staring out at you from the top, and the stairs that really DID seem to never end, was a blue coat hanging on a hook, and wet boots. In the sitting room, there was a fire in the fireplace and no windows. Someone was sitting on the couch, reading _Snow Day_by M.T. Coffin, about six children trapped in a Pennsylvania farmhouse in a snowstorm. The reader was Anaxandra Fier. Fifteen, her hair was red, not orange, or auburn, red. Her eyes were cornflower blue. Her body type, one would have to describe as round, but not overweight. She gave off the impression of a cherub. Some would've described her as voluptuous for a fifteen year-old teenager. There was a chain necklace with a pendant resting on top of her round, full breasts. She looked up from her book when someone burst into the room.

"Oh, hi Mr. Ranzz. I was just getting ready."

In came Garth Ranzz, Lightning Lad from New Earth. The difference between him and his animated counterpart was that he was older. And besides that, his right arm was not metal, nor did he have a beard, 'cept for some stubble, and a tattoo of the Legion "L" and two lightning bolts on his left arm. And he was married to Imra Ardeen. Anaxandra thought he looked like that Grunge character from those _Gen13_ comics her friend read.

"I got lost. Tried walking up the stairs and then this wall slid in behind me."

"Sorry." She apologized.

"You know why the freezer has a padlock?" He asked.

"No." She closed the book and put it beside her. Garth plopped down on the couch covered with a sheet.

"Yeah, you wanted to see me, uh…"

"Anaxandra."

"Cool name."

She blushed. "Really? Thank you. You can call me Xandra if you want. Celia calls me that all the time."

"Celia? The vampire girl?"

"Yes. I know you and your wife's turn hasn't come up yet, but I wanted to take a try at telling a story of my own. I couldn't really think of one to do, so I did a little tweaking to the one she told."

"Wasn't the one she told a retelling of someone else's story?"

"Guess I'm not very original, huh?" She looked down.

"Don't worry about it. But you wanted me why?"

"I just thought I'd ask your opinion on it after it's done. It has to do with your counterpart." She explained.

"Well, I got time, go ahead." He told her, and she smiled.

"Hello, my name is Anaxandra Fier, but you already knew that. This is, to be honest, my first actual Christmas. I've spent most of my life locked inside of a tower because of my family. I had to pay for the sin of insanity that my ancestor committed, and every other member of my family who had my face. And then Celia came along, and I followed after her because I had nowhere else to go, and I became a part of the dueling game just like those other girls. Our friendship has been rocky, but it's getting there. This is the story of Garth Ranzz and Mysa Nal-"

"Hold it." Garth cut her off. "Me, and Mysa?"

"It's your counterparts, um, Mr. Ranzz."

"You can call me Garth, kid."

"Oh, okay." She blushed.

"But they never got together."

"I know. But I had seen a little story someone did where Miss Nal-

"You don't have to be so formal, kid.

"Sorry. Anyway, where Mysa showed a bit of a crush on Garth."

"Yeah, I can understand that. Hope Blok ain't reading this. Heh."

"I understand how you and your wife's counterparts feel about one another, and I don't want to spread otherwise, but I thought that was the point of fan written stories?"

"Yeah, you got me." He agreed.

"Cookie?" Anaxandra held up a plate filled with various Christmas cookies.

"Sure." Garth took the plate, and bit into a star with yellow frosting. Anaxandra cleared her throat.

"Anyway, I'm new at celebrating this holiday, I mean, the right way. You heard earlier as my friend Celia did her story, about patience and boredom. Boredom can become a veritable nightmare. That is what my version is about. As I understand, Christmas is a time of year when your wildest dreams can come true in one night. But, sometimes, nightmares come true instead. As said before, boredom is a nightmare, but it can be become worse. Much worse. And sometimes love can get us through that nightmare. The Nutcracker ballet is often interpreted as a dream itself, as I understand it, about a girl who fantasizes of faeries and rat kings and princes. Think of this story as a dream, if you want, because one of the stars in this story has already been with her love, and the other will be with his very soon. So, sit back, curl up by the fire and dream sweet dreams of sugar plums dancing in your head, because you'll be listening to…"

****

Nutcracker Nightmare: Black Magic Remix

"How am I doing Garth?"

"Good so far. Keep it going, Xandra." He said with a full mouth.

"Thank you. Anyway…"

…

On December 24th, there was Christmas music playing on the overhead radios. _Jingle Bell Rock_. It was snowing outside, snowing fast and hard. People were eating, laughing, talking, enjoying the holidays. The name of the place was the Cat's Cradle Café, a futuristic place for futuristic teens in a futuristic world. Outside hung a sign, of a cat sleeping on a crescent moon and holding a fiddle and bow. Now, let's focus on two in particular, sitting in their own private booth.

The girl had long, auburn colored hair, or possibly strawberry blond. Her eyes lit up like two sapphires.

The boy was a shaggy redhead with a little goatee. His eyes were electric blue, with a bolt-shaped scar on his right eye.

Mysa Nal, the White Witch of Naltor. And Garth Ranzz, Lightning Lad of Winath. Legionnaires.

With the holidays going on full swing on Earth, and the lovers going off to do their own things before the big day, Mysa and Garth had trouble choosing what to do with their Christmas Eve. So they decided to do the rational thing. They flipped a coin. Heads, Garth chooses the entertainment and Mysa chooses the entertainment. Tails, Mysa chooses the entertainment, and Garth chooses dinner. It landed on tails.

"Pass me a napkin, Mysa?" Garth asked with tomato sauce smeared over his mouth.

There was a pizza that sat in front of the two. Once made of eight, it was down to three. Now two. One slice watch had been eaten by Mysa. The other five by Garth.

"Slow down," Mysa told him, "you're going to choke."

"I'll be fine. You worry too much." Garth said with a full mouth. He then went to start on another slice. Mysa looked in amazement at how much he could consume, like a garbage disposal.

"Five isn't enough for you, is it?" she said with a smirk.

"I'm a growing boy. I need my strength." Garth said, swallowing his food.

"Growing where, I wonder?" She said as she poked his belly with her index finger. It was softer then both thought. Too many sweets.

(At that moment my companion get a strange look on his face, as if he wanted to say 'Hey!" Oh well.)

Garth smirked and pulled Mysa closer. "Just means there's more of me to love, babe." And then he whispered something a little naughty in her ear.

_Jingle Bell Rock _stopped. Now, _Garden of Love_ by Cindy.

Mysa playfully pushed Garth away. "Don't be so crass. If you are, then you don't get the surprise." she said in a singsong voice.

"A surprise? What is it?" He asked, mouth full.

__

Let me take you to the garden.

"We're going to see a show tonight. Something I think you might like."

"I don't get a hint?" Garth asked.

"Nope." Mysa replied, sipping her drink.

"Not even a little one." He begged.

"Keep dreaming." The two finished eating and went up to pay.

__

We were reeling and rock and rolling. We were stealing what can't be stolen. Every feeling we found was golden. We could see every flower unfolding.

"Why you gotta torture me?" He sighed.

"It's fun." She giggled. Mysa preceded to pull Garth out of the diner as he was putting his jacket on. "So, let's go!"

"Wait-!"

__

Let me take you to the garden of love!

…

They were walking down the streets of New Metropolis. There weren't that many people out because of the snow, or because they were with family. The lack of hustle and bustle was made up for by the howling winds.

"We there yet?"

Mysa was leading Garth by hand.

"Almost, no peeking." She told him.

"How can I?" He asked. She had his eyes magically shut.

She led him up to something, waved her hand, and little spots of white light twinkled around his eyes. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes.

"Surprise!"

He looked up, and blanked.

"This is it?"

The Hargreeves Theatre. A well-known institution of the arts, just last month putting on a winning performance of _Leeta 87_, and the month before that a wonderful showing of _Batman: Masque_. Garth looked up at the name of the play they were about to see.

****

The Nutcracker

"You like?" Mysa asked with anticipation. There was a big smile on her face. He thought for a minute, scratched the back of his head and thought of what to say.

"Ah, well, it's, this is it?"

Her smile started to falter.

"What's wrong with it?"

Garth sighed. "Well, Mysa, I was kinda hoping we could go see that new horror movie _Weirdo Waldo's Wax Museum_."

She crossed her arms and stood her ground.

"A deal's a deal, Garth. And _Weirdo Waldo's Wax Museum_? Seriously?"

"I know, but come on! The Nutcracker?" He told her. Mysa sighed and started to explain. "The Nutcracker happens to be a well-respected and beloved classic on Earth and on many other planets, including Winath. People have been coming to watch it for years. And it just happens that if you had gone with me when I told you we were going to see _Masque_ I wouldn't have to be forcing you to see this now."

Garth groaned. "You're still on that? I told you I wasn't feeling well."

"So explain the empty bourbon bottle and why you were passed out on the couch when I came back."

He turned pale and gulped. One shot of bourbon and he was out like a light. He was still thinking of a way to pay Dirk back for that.

"Okay, fine, then I guess we can go back to HQ and I can fume for a few hours. I'm sure everyone else will love to deal with a grouchy witch."

"No no, the last thing I want is to get you are anyone else mad." Garth told her. "Including Dreamy." He said under his breath.

FLASHBACK

_"Lightning Lad, can we talk?"_

_Garth was sitting in the kitchen, reading an old Earth comic he'd borrowed from Lyle, Maison Ikkoku. A bag of chips and a can of soda in front of him. Dream Girl was standing in the doorway. He looked up from the book. "What up?" he asked. She walked over to the counter and started taking out glass bowls and putting them on a tray._

_"Lemme help with that." Garth got up._

_"No I've got it."_

_"I wanted to talk to you about Mysa. Garth, my sister is still having a hard time, what with what happened with Dragonmage did and all. And since you two have started… dating, I wanted to make sure their were no miscommunications between you and her. "_

_"Nura, you don't have to explain anything to me."_

_"I'm sure your intentions are pure. But…"_

_"But what?"_

_"Let me make one thing clear."_

_Nura cleared her throat, then narrowed her eyes._

_"I don't care who or what my sister date's. The only thing I care about is that she's happy."_

_"Dreamy, you know I would never-"_

_"But I swear to whatever higher power there is you ever lay one hand on her or do anything, ANYTHING to her I will stick barbed wire in crack and hole in your body and inflict a whole universe of pain in places you'll wish that didn't exist."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him, until she backed up and went back to her smiling self, holding the tray filled with bowl of vanilla ice cream for her friends._

_"Okay who wants cinnamon?" She asked. Garth gulped._

_"I just lost my appetite."_

END FLASHBACK

"Garth! You make it sound like the only reason you go out with me is because you're afraid of my sister." Mysa pouted. "I think I should re-examine this relationship."

"Mysa, the only thing I'm afraid of is what I might do to anyone who tries to hurt you." Garth replied, thinking quickly. She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Garth… that is touchingly corny." Mysa laughed.

"Hey, what can I say Mys? You bring out the artist in me." He stated.

"That's good. Which means you can sit through this." She started to pull him in.

"Come on Mysa, do I have to?" He complained like a three-year old.

"Garth. Stop whining. Or I won't give you your present when we get back to HQ." She threatened.

"Y'know, I can think of something much better we can be doing…" He raised an eyebrow and suggested it.

"Garth…" She leaned in closer, up to his face. Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at him.

"Yes?"

She placed her fingertip on his lips.

"Zip it."

He blinked. And in a flash of light, his mouth had been zipped shut. Literally.

…

"So what's this about anyway?" Garth asked as they took their seats.

"A girl gets a nutcracker doll from her godfather on Christmas Eve, but her twerpy little brother breaks it." Mysa explained.

"That does sound like something a brother would do." Garth mused, voicing past experience.

"Later she has a dream of her doll coming to life and turning into a handsome prince, and there's a fight with giant rats, fearies..." Mysa listed.

"Gee. Sounds wonderful." Garth deadpanned. "Bathroom break." He suddenly got up.

...

"Want something from the snack bar?" He asked as he got up again.

...

"Bathroom break."

"Again?" Mysa asked.

"When nature calls you've gotta pick it up. Cuz you can't take a message." Garth joked. Mysa felt sick having to imagine that.

...

"Do you remember what the number for our coats was? I better..."

"Garth. Plant it." She pointed a finger, and he got glued to his chair. He wasn't getting out of this, and the orchestra hadn't even finished warming up. He silently groaned.

The orchestra started. And Garth had to watch...

And watch...

And watch...

As they skipped around in their stupid outfits that not even the oldest dinosaur he knew would be caught dead in. The music was loud and annoying, and the plot seemed to drag on. Garth did his best to keep busy. He played thumb-wrestling with himself. Watched the dust floating in the air. Thought about what he was getting for Christmas. Pretended the orchestra was making rude noises come out of their instruments instead of that Russian music. Then he thought of the actors doing the same thing when they did jumps. One did a very long jump that ended in a skid and Garth almost laughed out loud. But nothing was working so far. As for Mysa, she was in the ballet's world and she didn't want to leave.

_How long has this been going on_? Garth thought. _When is he going to break that doll already?!_ He was rooting for the little brat. At least then this would be interesting. His stomach rumbled. He repressed a burp. He felt nausea.

_Too much pizza_.

Then, his eyelids started to flutter. Uh oh, it was happening. He tried to fight it, for Mysa. If he had to sit through it, he would at least stay awake. But he was losing the battle.

_Come on, come on_! He thought. But it was too late.

"Sorry… Mysa…" He said. As he snored, he didn't even notice she was asleep. And the woman with platinum blonde hair watching them with her opera glasses smiled.

The show was about to begin.

…

Garth let out one final snore before he awoke. He rubbed the drool from his chin, and mumbled something to Mysa about the time. She didn't reply.

"Mssa?" He asked. He fully opened his eyes. "Mysa." She wasn't there.

No one was.

"What the hell?!" He said out loud. His words echoed out. He slept through the whole thing. But where was Mysa? Why didn't she wake him? She was probably getting back at him for not paying attention.

_Guess I'm not such a good boyfriend_, he ruefully thought, before jumping out of his seat and running into the aisle. He saw the EXIT sign flashing red, and headed for it. Mysa had some explaining to do, leaving him alone in an empty theatre. He ran...

And ran...

And ran...

And ran...

But he never reached the exit. But, ever the blockhead, he kept running. He finally stopped, and clutched at a seat rest as he tried to breath.

"Geez. She, *huff*, was, *huff*, right. I needta, *huff*, lay off the snacks before I start looking like Bouncy. Again." He grimaced at the memory of when they switched powers.

Then, a thought hit him. Flight Ring.

"Duh." He said to himself. He started to fly off, and crashed to the floor.

"Ow!" He yelled, face first on the sticky floor. He looked at his hand. She took his flight ring!

"Okay, really not cool, Mysa!" He called out as he got up. "Come out!"

BONG!

He nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned to the stage. A light shone down on a grandfather clock on the stage. It was placed in the center, while on the right there was a large Christmas tree with prop gifts at the bottom.

BONG BONG BONG! BONG BONG! BONG BONG BONG! BONG BONG BONG!

Midnight.

Then the light switched to the left, and Garth saw someone. A dancer, with black hair pulled into a bun and a white tutu. Then, from nowhere, the music started.

_The Waltz of the Snowflakes._

Garth called out "Hey!" But the music continued. The dancer began. She moved her legs to the rythym of the ballet music. Her feet flew and glided across the wooden stage. Garth was almost captivated by her movements. Mesmerized. She spun and performed complicated ballet moves. Garth called out again, but she didn't answer. But he was sure she knew he was there.

He turned the dancer around to face her...

Only she had no face. There was only a gaping maw of teeth dripping with saliva that made up the head, along with a gaping hole into the threat. It growled. Garth blanked.

"I really hate ballet."

The Dancing Thing lunged at him, it's giant jaw snapping open and shut as it tried to bite it's face off. It had Garth pinned to the floor, but an electrified kick to the gut sent it flying. Garth jumped up and put up his crackling dukes.

"Come on put 'em up put 'em up!" He said, mimicking a character from a black-and-white movie. The thing growled, and then, from the black hole that was it's mouth, a long, barbed tongue, shot out and wrapped itself around his right arm.

"Hey!" He yelled. The barbs sunk into his arm and began to pull him forward. He tried to pull it off as he was pulled closer to it. It's teeth chattered in anticipation for it's meal.

"Sorry babe. I'm not...!" He yelled as he grabbed the tongue with both hands, ignoring the pain and no longer getting pulled.

"ON THE MENU!" He yelled, and instead yanked IT to him.

As it came flying, he fired a giant bolt of energy and vaporized it. The tongue hung loose and sank of his arms. He looked at his wrists. He was bleeding. He pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around it, when, the stage light centered in him. He shieled his eyes.

_Tea_.

The next wave of music started. But all Garth thought about was Mysa. He knew she wasn't doing this. She wasn't this cruel. Then, he felt something brush past his leg. He looked down. What was that that had just pasted by? And then, something wagged in his face. A tail. Seven tails. Seven long, big tails. He gulped. He knew was those tails belond to. And then seven more lights shone.

Rats.

Seven large, hissing rats with drool and blood dripping from their maws. They growled at him.

"Uh, hey guys." He said. "I was just kidding when I said I hated-"

SLASH!

One of them tried to rip his arm off with their long clawed hands. Garth ducked and tried to ran out of the circle, but when he did they chased after him, only they weren't running. They were dancing.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

The rats twirled and pranced with one another. They held each other up in the air. They tangoed to the music. And all the while they tried to render Garth's face. He fired lightning, only nothing came out! His powers were gone! Who was doing this?!

But the rats were his first priority. Two waltzed to him and whipped him with his tails, until he grabbed them and began to spun around, using them as weapons. He may've lost his lightning, but he was still a healthy teenage boy who could bench-press 220 and regularly ripped shirts when he flexed his arm.

("Why are you blushing?" "No reason.")

He finally stopped spinning after he had cleared out all the rats, then fell to the floor, dizzy.

"I. Do not want to try that again." He said.

New music started. Sultry music. Red light. A figure wrapped in Arabian silks came out.

_Coffee._

The figure danced around Garth as the erotic and seductive music played. He felt compelled to watch. In his dizzyness, he saw six of them. He blushed, and the memories started to fade. Her eyes burned into his. Her mouth was masked by a veil. She wore a blood red stone on her throat. Who was he thinking of before? Something with an M. Miser. He didn't care. He just wanted to watch this woman, when...

"GARTH!"

He snapped out of it when he heard tha voice.

"Mysa!"

He remembered. And ripped off the dancer's veil.

"You!" Garth screamed.

"Surprise!" The belly dancer yelled as curls of platinum blonde hair fell.

"Glorith." Garth spat out the word.

Glorith of Baaldur. Once an underling to the Time Trapper, now a time-manipulating witch.

"Merry Christmas darling? Do I get a kiss at midnight?" She puckered her lips. Garth felt revulsed.

"Where is she?!" Garth yelled.

"Temper temper. You keep yelling and she might run out of breath." She shook her finger. Garth thought about, and saw she was looking past him. To the Christmas tree.

"No."

"Go ahead baby, they're all yours. I forgot to put the air holes in though." She laughed maniacally as she layed on her side on the floor and watched as he ran to the gifts under the tree. New music.

_Trepak_.

He unwrapped and unwrapped. He pulled apart boxes and tags looking for Mysa. She wasn't there. A bebe gun, an orange, a Good Guy doll, a doll with no eyes, a fighter plane model, nothing, until he pulled open the box that was decorated with Barbie's face. And stared in horror as Glorith hovered over him.

"Why look! He's got his very own Mysa doll!"

****

Playtime Mysa

Dreamy's Little Sister

Fun For Girls Of All Ages

Braid Her Hair! Dye It Purple! Bleach It White!

Dress Her Up As White Witch! Hag! Or Jewel!

Comes With Extendable Broomstick, Henna Tattoo, and Replica Legion Flight Ring!

"You motherfuc-" He began.

"But oh dear. I'm afraid that doll was already promised to someone else." Glorith feigned sadness. Garth figured who she was talking about.

"Mordru." He loathed the word. The lecherous old wizard who had a thing for Mysa.

"Yes." Glorith hissed the word. "I figure I give this kind of gift, he'll be bowing for years." Glorith was powerful enough on her own, thanks to her old boss the Time Trapper, but she wanted more. And Mordru had what she was looking for.

"Like hell, you are!" He ripped open the box.

"No!" Glorith screamed and advanced on him, before he shot her away with his lightning. Mysa appeared in a puff of smoke on the stage, on her stomach.

"Mysa. Mysa!" Garth shook her. "Mysa you have to wake up! Come on!" He propped her up, she was out like a light. Her head hung low, obscured by her hair. Garth moved it away to get a look at her face, only, he saw the key in the back of her neck that wound up by itself, and she lifted her head.

She had a puppet face and doll eyes, cold and dead that rolled around as her wooden mouth opened.

"Hello. I am. Playtime. Mysa. Would you. Like to. Play with. Me?"

"Glorith you bi-"

Garth couldn't finish as the walking puppet version of Mysa sunk her hands into his back. He cried out in pain, as suddenly, something started emerging out of her knuckles. Syringes. Needles. Hooked up to some nervous system inside the living doll, they dug deep into his flesh. He howled as his eyes glowed, then the glow began to disappear as the syringes began sucking up something. His lightning.

"S-stop..."

The puppet face smiled, before it started to burn and melt. He could see wooden veins and wax tubes inside the cheek. Termites were eating it out as the gears fell apart.

"P-play with me. Play w-w-w-ith me. With me. Me e e e e e e."

He tried to speak, but as the doll was sucking up his bioelectricty through the needles, and into the tubes they were fed into, he started to get old. He wasn't a teenager. His twenties. His forties. His seventies. His red hair became grey, then white. His bones aged, his teeth yellowed and decayed. His joints and knuckles cracked and suffered from arthritis. His hair fell out. His teeth fell out. He started to forget. Alzheimer's setting in. His energy was fading. Soon he would be dead, or a husk.

"And while Mordru has his Mysa Doll, I can play with Action Garth." Glorith said from the shadows as she held up an empty box. "Some assembly required."

**Action Garth**

...

From inside the red ornament ball on the tree, Mysa banged her fists on the red glass prison, trying to shake it loose and break free as she watched her boyfriend be aged to dust.

"Let me out! LET ME OUT!" She screamed. "GLORITH YOU BITCH!"

It was no use. Her powers had stopped working.

"IT'S ME YOU WANT! LET HIM GO!"

"Oh now, Mysa calm down." Glorith's facial features now appeared in the red glass. "You'll get your turn. But I need you in Mint Condition for Mordru. NRFB!" She cackled, and the glass morphed and wrapped around Mysa's arms, trying to hold her back, before she finally curled back her fist and punched through the glass. Before she knew it, she was full sized again, and out on another side of the stage as Garth had the life sucked out of him.

"No!" She yelled and began to run.

"_No!"_ She heard repeated.

"What?" She looked down, and in the glass fragments, out came a little Mysa. And another. And four more. And sixteen, before hundreds of red Mysas were swarming on her.

"Get off me! Get off!" She screamed as she threw them off and hurled them to the ground, shattering them.

"_Get off_!" They mocked. The more she broke, the more rose. The crawled up her legs and arms. The bit, cut, and tore. She yelled as they pinched. She tried stepping on them, but then the glass broke into her foot.

"Or well." Glorith sighed. "Guess this'll be coming in as damaged goods."

Mysa ran to Garth, still covered in the red glass demons. She punched the Mysa Doll that was still attached to her boyfriend, and sent some of the glass Mysas flying off. The syringes popped out. Garth slunk to the floor, a withered old man. The glass Mysas ran off in fear after seeing her single handedly deck the doll.

"Mysa..." he moaned. His final tooth fell out.

"Garth." She sunk to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. He tried to raise a hand to her cheek to wipe the tear, but he didn't have the strength. His fingernails were gnarles and yellow, and cracked off. He held the hand close to her cheek.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Don't... be... babe." He said.

She shut her eyes and tried to think, she tried to use her powers. To make this work, But nothing happened. She was stuck playing the victim again, just like she did when she lived on Naltor, as a cripple.

But then, something started to happen. Mysa was wishing that this was better, and her cuts started to heal. Garth, his skin to turn back to a healthy peach. His features returned to normal. He was seventeen again.

"Garth!" She happily cried and held him.

"I told you I'm a growing boy." He joked.

"Oh how touching." Glorith mocked. "I might puke."

The two turned to Glorith as she stood in the black background. Behind them, the chairs and seats in the theatre were ripped away. Now, there was only Glorith, the two, her minions, and the dark. The two stood.

"You wanna dance bitch?" Mysa asked.

"Then let's dance!" Garth yelled.

"I WANT THEIR HEADS!" She screamed.

The rats, the dancers, the glass demons, the dolls, they all attacked. Garth held Mysa, before the two charged. Mysa learned a lot from her sister in terms of hand-to-hand combat. A rat lunged at her, she punched it in the gut and butterfly kicked into a group of dolls with fangs.

Garth ducked the blows of the glass demons. A dancer was behind him, he ducked and it chomped on the glass one. It screamed as glass cut up open it's throat. But then, it got back up and attacked Garth. One of the Rats bit Mysa. They huddled together, near the edge, looking into the black.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?!" Glorith screamed. "I CONTROL THIS WORLD!"

Mysa thought for a minute. Then she turned around. There, in the darkness. There she was. And so was Garth. They were sleeping.

"Garth!" She turned him around.

"We're dreaming!" She said in surprise.

"Punch me." Garth told her.

"No! Ignore them! They aren't real!"

"Yes they are!" Glorith threatened.

"Ignore her!"

The colors started to ran togther. The monsters and beasts started to slink down. They fizzled and popped. They slowed down.

"They may not be real, BUT I AM!" Glorith screamed, and held her fists up as she grew in size. She became a giantess, looking down on them. She laughed a booming laugh in the darkness. She raised her foot and was about to stomp on them. They didn't care.

"Uh, hello, I'm about to destroy you?" Glorith motioned.

"Ignore her." Mysa said. "And follow me."

"Like you even have to ask." Garth said.

"Shut up, Sir Cornwallace."

They held hands...

"NO!" Glorith screamed.

And then they jumped into the quiet darkness.

…

"Hey! Hey you!" The man next to them said. The theatre goer was talking to the rude boy and his equally rude girlfriend with the same hair color. The girl was fast asleep, and he was snoring up a storm.

"I swear kids these days. No sense of decency." He said to himself. "Hey. Wake up!" He kept nudging them. Garth fluttered his eyelids, and began to open his mouth to yawn.

"Finally. Are you-"

BURP!

"Oh my-!" The man held his breath and started to convulse in his seat. Mysa started to stir, and said as she waved her hand.

"No more pizza." She said, her eyes teary.

"Gotcha. Let's get out of here." Garth said, and the two left the theatre so quick it would've given the Flash a run for his money.

"Mom? Is that you?" The man squeaked on the floor.

…

In his chambers on Tharn, Mordru wondered.

"It wasn't a total waste." Mordru said. He sat in his chambers, musing the events that had happened. "Tonight wasn't a total waste after all, Glorith."

"I may not have Mysa. But, now I can play with my new Glory Doll." He held up a platinum blonde doll in a purple bathing suit. Oops. Her head came off.

…

It was later that night. Christmas night. Garth couldn't sleep. He was wide awake, worried what might happen if he closed his eyes again. So, to pass the time, he started to play a simple Earth video game from the 20th Century. Something that was simple. _Sonic R_. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the big screen, controller in hand. He was wearing black pajama pants and a tank top with a design pattern like they had on cartoon caveman, orange-brown with black marks.

"Open!"

"It's me." Mysa walked in, wearing a silk white blouse over her red panties.

"Hey babe."

"I was wondering if you wanted to talk about what happened. In the theatre." Mysa wondered as she sat down beside him.

"Just a couple of bad dreams." Garth shrugged it off.

"VERY, bad dreams." Mysa corrected.

"All because of some sychopant with a bad dye job." Garth joked. She laughed. "But you were great. If it wasn't you for, we wouldn't have made it to Christmas." He motioned to his alarm clock. 3:33 AM. Christmas Day. He pulled out a gift wrapped in blue.

"Here."

"What's this? A book?" Mysa asked as she started to unwrap.

"I still remember last month you wanted to see _Batman Masque_ but I said no. So, I got you this."

Mysa's jaw dropped. It was a copy of the graphic novel by Mike Grell. The book it was based on. It was first edition."

"Where'd you-"

"I owe Brainy. Let's just leave it at that." Garth said.

"You even got it autographed. And..." Mysa opened it. There was a commission by the artist of Mysa, as if she was in the book. Mysa choked on her words. She pulled out Garth's gift. He eagerly ripped it open. _Weirdo Waldo's Wax Museum_.

"When your mother was the High Seer on Naltor, you can get a lot of favors. And I mean a LOT." She emphasized. "Especially in the movie business." Mysa explained. Garth put it down, grabbed her, and frenched her for about five minutes. She returned the favor.

"You want breakfast?" Garth asked.

"I'm not hungry. Can I play?" She motioned to the video game.

"Sure, but I'm Sonic." Garth jerked a thumb in his direction.

"No fair, I want to be Sonic." Mysa cried.

"Nope."

"Please?" She pouted.

"Okay, fine. You can be Sonic." Garth gave in.

"Thank you." Mysa took a controller.

"But I get to be Super Sonic." Garth flashed a grin.

"Hey no fair! You didn't tell me there was Super Sonic!"

"Too late."

So the two played the game, until they were too tired, and Garth happily fell asleep nestled in Mysa's chest, when they heard a flash from Nemesis Kid's camera.

"Merry Christmas." They said to one another, as they dreamed sweet dreams and Nemesis Kid went to the emergency room for the electric wedgie magically grafted onto his butt.

…

"So, that's it. A nutcracker nightmare turned into a dream. What do you think?" Anaxandra asked Garth. He mused the story and mulled it over.

"It opened up like a sappy teen TV show, carried onto what seemed like a movied directed by Wes Craven, and ended like a kitchen romance novel." He told her.

"Oh."

"Not bad." He said.

"Oh. Thank you." She beamed.

"Got anymore cookies?" Garth asked as he shook the crumbs off the plate.

"Too many sweets can make you fat." Anaxandra lectured.

"I'm not worried about putting on a couple of extra pounds." He patted his well-toned abs, like his counterpart's. They made Anaxandra blush, the way people do when they stare at her breasts. But she saw joke potential.

"It's not a couple from where I'm sitting, or is your belt always on the last notch?"

"Was that a joke?" He blanked.

"Concern. I wouldn't want your, um, cummerbund getting tighter because of your beer belly." he said offhandedly. His jaw dropped, and his eyes crackled. Uh oh.

"Nice, kid." He smirked. "Sticks and stones."

"Sticks and stones" She replied. "Have fun playing Santa."

"Okay we get it."

"Merry Christmas."

And then the lights went out.

**MAY YOU DREAM THE DREAM YOU HOPED FOR**


End file.
